For the last few years, the Lansing wrestling team has consistently put together a young roster. That’s especially the case this season with no seniors on the squad. But make no mistake: there’s plenty of experience and talent, and it’s been on full display early on this season.
The Bobcats are off to a solid start, winning two of their first three meets and recording a ninth-place finish at the Bill Andersen Memorial Tournament. They’re led this year by a new head coach but a familiar face in the program. Bryce Eastman takes over after coaching the modified team for the last few years. Eastman competed for the Bobcats from 2015 to 2018, so taking charge of a team he once proudly wrestled for is a full-circle moment.
“It’s honestly a blessing and an honor,” Eastman said. “I get to carry on that torch and pass it off to the next generation, and that’s what really matters. It’s all about the kids at the end of the day.”
The Bobcats’ roster consists of eleven wrestlers: five juniors and six freshmen. While Eastman would like to see more numbers eventually to avoid forfeits, there’s plenty of upside working with a smaller and younger group.
“The advantage is we get to keep them longer, and we get to teach them more by the end of the day,” Eastman said. “Luckily, we have a decent amount of resources at Lansing that we can provide them like a broad variety of coaching and different skills and techniques.”
The Bobcats are spearheaded by their trio of immensely accomplished captains. Owen Clark continues to lead the way. The University of North Carolina commit is coming off a sensational sophomore season, posting a 40-5 record in the 138 weight class. and finishing in first at IACs, second at sectionals, and third at states. Now wrestling in the 150 weight class, it’s been more of the same success this year, winning his first seven matches.
“Where do you even start?” Eastman said. “He’s dedicated. If he’s not in the wrestling room at the school, he’s in another wrestling room somewhere else. He’s always weightlifting, always working out. I’ll be like, ‘Hey, what did you do this weekend?’ He’s like, ‘Oh, I got a sweet workout in, Coach,’ He just puts his head down and powers through whatever adversity comes his way.”
Completing the trifecta of junior captains are Evan Sheils and Aaden McMillen. Sheils is also off to a perfect start at 7-0 in the 150 weight class. Last year he competed in the 124 weight class to tremendous success, going 39-13 and finishing runner-up at IACs, third at sectionals, and sixth at states. McMillen is 7-2 to get things going in the 126 weight class. Last time out in the 116 weight class, he went 32-8 and claimed the IAC and Section IV titles.
“Evan’s just a monster,” Eastman said. “He is one of those kids where he gets in the ring, and if something weird or funky happens, he powers through it and gets through it. Aaden’s the same way. They’re aggressive. They’re mean on the mat. It’s everything and anything you’d want from a coach.”
The final two juniors on the Bobcats have also been strong contributors. Brennen Williams is 5-3 in the 157 weight class, while Junior Estep is 3-4 so far in the 132 weight class. They’ve helped cultivate a stellar effort on the mat.
“They just bring this great mentality of putting in work,” Eastman said. “The freshmen that I have in the room are like, ‘Alright, let’s get to business. It’s been great. Having Owen, Aaden and Evan lead the way as team captains, they’ve been a tremendous help to getting everybody squared away and pointed in the right direction.
The six freshmen that make up the rest of Lansing’s roster are all in their first year at the varsity level, but most of them were coached by Eastman in modified. Tobias Moore is the newest of the bunch in his first-ever year wrestling, but Eastman praised his ability to quickly pick up on everything. Hudson Reichard has wrestled for years and is competing at the highest weight class on the Bobcats at 175 pounds. Landon Prince attends Southern Cayuga but has gelled with the rest of the team and is another hard worker. Brandon McDowell has shown an eagerness to learn. Truman Montfort-Balfour and Zaybriel Davis round out the roster.
Each wrestler has their own goals for this campaign. While the trio of Clark, McMillen and Sheils aim to get back to states, the Bobcats as a whole are simply looking to keep improving every single day.
“We’ve been preaching a lot of that awareness and strategy this year to try and help us obtain those victories,” Eastman said. “Those are our little goals in practice: If we get in this, how are we going to work around it? If you get this look from somebody, what are we going to do? It’s those little things to obtain that big goal of a good winning streak or even just a few wins or a state championship.”
